Steve Green and the Elevators, whose eponymous bassist and vocalist is Bryn Mawr College’s Director of Transportation, were welcomed to Goodhart Hall on February 6th. The band has previously performed at President Wendy Cadge’s inauguration, last October, and was well received. Since then, Sisterhood* has invited them back to perform as part of Bryn Mawr’s Black History Month celebrations.
The band, in collaboration with a cast of talented guests, presented “The Griot’s Groove,” a self-described “journey through the origin of African American Music.” The elaborate performance combined live music with video, dance, and poetry, celebrating the perseverance of the Black spirit alongside Black music.
Around 6:30 p.m., the auditorium lights dimmed and the audience simmered. As the projector screen lit up with images of West African villages, the spotlight glowed a warm, bonfire gold. And with that, the journey officially commenced.
The Griot’s Groove began in West Africa, opening with a spectacular performance by the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble (UAD). The UAD spans multiple generations and seeks to “present the beauty of [the] original culture of Africa through the performing arts,” as stated on their website. Their drummers set the tone for their performance by relaying a fast-paced, playful routine, which then expanded to include dancers and a Chakaba, a traditional West African stilt walker, who moved and danced to the heartbeat of the drums.
Photo by Chloe Sun, Bi-Co News Staff Writer.
The bright lights then darkened as the journey across the Middle Passage began. Echoes of ruthless ocean waves, clinking chains, and soft cries rang out as the auditorium paused with a solemn hush. After Green settled on stage with the rest of the Elevators, they began humming a soft, lilting tune. Slowly, Green set the scene with spoken narration: “[in] the belly of the slave ship, side-by-side, chained…[with this] melody coming from the belly of the slaves.” He paused to let the humming swell, then quiet again, before continuing: “Cry. Moan. Pain…Here we are, learning what it is like to be an enslaved people, and the only book that the master would give the enslaved man is the Bible.”
The genre then shifted smoothly to spirituals and gospel songs, highlighting the perseverance of faith in Black music. Warren Cooper and Charlene Holloway collaborated on “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” with Cooper singing “The Lord’s Prayer” afterward. Cooper is an accomplished teaching and performance artist with strong roots in gospels and sacred jazz, while Holloway is a native Philadelphian singer who has worked with artists such as Regina Belle and Anita Baker. Their voices harmonized for a stirring duet.
Moving onto blues and jazz of the early 1900s, the Elevators invited Barbara Walker on stage, who did a wonderful job raising the energy with Louis Jordan’s “Let the Good Times Roll.” A gifted vocalist, Walker started singing professionally at 16 and has toured the nation with talented musicians including Grover Washington Jr. The Elevators then paid tribute to jazz legend Louis Armstrong with their cover of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The song spotlighted sax player Robert Landham and featured a surprise return from Walker, who appeared in the aisles with a glamorous purple umbrella, accompanied by two UAD dancers.
Photo by Chloe Sun, Bi-Co News Staff Writer.
Unfortunately, as the Black music scene rose to new heights, so did the culture of racial violence in America. Recalling victims of horrific lynching in the deep South, Cecilia Mitchell, a professional dancer and Stockton University alum, performed an interpretive dance to “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday. Mitchell’s movements—at times lurching, at times sweeping—magnified Holiday’s haunting delivery, making for a powerful performance.
Photo by Lillian Jane (LJ) Long, Bi-Co News Photographer.
The band then delved into songs of healing and protest that rose in response to the horrors of lynching and segregation. They covered an array of iconic soul and R&B songs from the 1960 and 70s, many of which went on to become anthems of the Civil Rights Movement. Fred Brown, a Philadelphian musician, made his way onto stage in a charming brown fedora. He performed a cover of “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, which urges for hope and conviction in the face of pervasive bigotry. Afterward, Cooper returned to perform “People Get Ready” by the Impressions, an American music group that pioneered the Chicago-soul style in the 1960s.
Together, Brown and Cooper sang a rendition of “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, which was inspired by 1969’s ‘Bloody Thursday’ and the broader rise of violence against anti-war protestors. The Holloway sisters concluded this run-down of classics with “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” by Nina Simone. They went back and forth in an adlib “showdown,” astounding the audience with their impressive vocal abilities.
After a montage commending accomplished Black Americans from past to present, the Elevators broke into lively Rock-and-Roll, honoring famed guitarist Jimi Hendrix with a cover of “Who Knows.” Rock then transitioned into Funk as the Elevators performed “Sex Machine” by James Brown. The band incorporated vibrant energy into their performance with the heavy beats. With his spirited count-offs, calls for vocal responses from the audience, and riff-off with guitarist Dave Gardner, Green honored the spirit of Hendrix and Brown with his energy and improvisation.
Photo by Chloe Sun, Bi-Co News Staff Writer.
Next, the Elevators performed several original unreleased pieces, such as “Heaven’s Door” and “Ask the Creator.” Before performing “Heaven’s Door,” Green paid respects to friends who had passed in recent years, dedicating the song to them. “Heaven’s Door” was soulful; its smooth instrumentals, combined with the mellow voice of Paula Holloway, created an almost ethereal tone. “Ask the Creator” then raised the tempo, highlighting instrumentals and starting off high-energy, gradually stabilizing into a groovy tune with sax accents.
After the medley, Green took time to applaud everyone who had performed, including his bandmates: Joe Patterson and Jeff Bichaylo on the keyboard, Jimmy Jones on the drums, Pablo Batista on percussion, Gardner on the guitar, Landham on the saxophone, and of course, himself on the bass.
Before introducing the next artist, Green remarked: “As our music progressed from West Africa to slave songs, to gospel music, to blues, to jazz, to rock and roll, to funk, to rhythm and blues, it has now evolved, in the last 50 years or so, into hip-hop.” He then welcomed Philly-based rapper Freddie Foolay onto stage. Foolay performed his original song, “Most Human,” which ruminated on ego and identity. Behind him, a visualizer played, where a diverse and faceless array of people took on the shoes and belongings of another, leaving their own behind to perpetuate the cycle.
Following Foolay’s performance, Percussionist Pablo Batista launched into an extraordinary hand drum solo, his hands moving and tapping and slapping the drumheads with almost inhuman agility. Batista, who has performed and toured for more than 30 years, has worked with acclaimed artists including Alicia Keys, and has received a multitude of accolades for his contributions to Afro-Caribbean music.
At the last beat of Batista’s drum, the Elevators exploded into their final piece: “Going Home.” All of the featured vocalists came on stage, singing along to the catchy refrain (“I’m going home!”) and grooving to the rhythm. As the song reached its crescendo and rousing applause began to flood in, this night of music and celebration came to an end.
Photo by Chloe Sun, Bi-Co News Staff Writer.
This immersive experience encouraged the Bryn Mawr community to reflect upon both the pains and joys of the Black experience. As the online program for Griot’s Groove states: “From the guttural moans of despair to celebratory shouts of the hallelujah chorus, we will walk through the story of the African American diaspora…The Journey of the Griots Groove is American History. The Journey of the Griots Groove is our history.”
🎶 Check out the Griot’s Groove playlist!
📸 Check out more pictures of the performance @brynmawrcollege and @sisterhood_bmc!
